Darkness Aftermath
by Sephiroth's Kitsune
Summary: What does being trapped in darkness and then in a chemistry lab do to you?(COMPLETE!)
1. Riku: A Sad Story

Ok I recently read a fic that pretty much said to taunt the lawyers and say to hell with disclaimers.  I couldn't agree more.  But to save what little money I have I am going to say I don't own KH or its characters, just the fic, just to be safe.  So don't sue me! **cowers**

Sora finished writing his name, the date, and time on the sheet of paper and smiled at the nurse.  He turned from the high counter and walked through the long white sterile hallway.  He rubbed his nose idly and tuned the corner, the route being so familiar to him he didn't have to think about where he was going.  Sora walked through the maze of bright corridors to a room passed a barred gate.  There were six rooms in the sealed hall but Sora only cared about the one at the end.  He looked at the clipboard in a pocket next to the door to see if there had been changes in the patient inside.  Sora laughed softly, the doctor had left him another little note telling him not to give up.  Sora put the clip board back where it belonged and slowly opened the door.  At the first clicking of the handle Sora heard sudden movements inside.  The brunette slipped in and quickly closed the door.

There was only a single window in the room to shed light into the painfully white room but at mid day they were shuttered against the bright light.  The far corner to the left harbored a plain bed with blue coverings and a matching pillow and a small wooden table sat next to it.  Other than that the room was sparse, and from the smell freshly painted.  Sora sat down in the corner to the right of the door and waited.

Slowly a figure began to come from under the bed, a sliver of light catching on his silvery hair.  He pulled himself up onto the bed and sat there cross-legged staring at Sora.

"Hey Riku."

The figure on the bed smiled slightly and went back to staring.  Sora had gotten used to the staring long ago, but at first it had unnerved him quite a bit.  It was like his gaze wasn't on you but your soul, searching it for all its defects and scars.  But Sora had gotten passed that and found that it was his way of making sure you were friendly, and he did it every time Sora came, which he had been three times a week for the past four months.  Riku nodded and Sora stood and walked over to the bed and sat down next to his friend.  He began to talk about what had happened on the island since his last visit.  Sora got to talking about Kairi and Riku let out a sound that sounded much like a growl.  Sora remembered him doing that the last time he had come as well so he changed the subject to Tidus's latest find: a shiny red marble which he claimed was a ruby.  Talking about Tidus and Selphie always seemed to brighten Riku's mood, they could do that for any one with all that energy.  Sora had brought the two once but they were so energetic they couldn't sit still long enough and Riku tried to attack them.  Thankfully though Sora had intercepted the raging teen and the two young ones were able to escape.  Kairi had been coming to visit the days Sora didn't, primarily Tuesdays and Thursdays and some times Saturdays if she was free.  Riku's parents hadn't visited him once.  Sora had asked them why once and they simply stated they had no son and to get off their property.  Sora had known Riku and his parents had never gotten along too well but this was ridiculous.

The door to the room opened suddenly and Riku rolled head first off the bed and flung himself under it.  An auburn haired girl poked her head around the door and smiled.

"Oh hey Sora, I thought you had already left," she said.

"No, I'm still here."

A growl came from under the bed.

"Oh right," whispered the girl and sat down so Riku could see her better.  However Riku never came out, it had never taken more than ten minutes before for Riku to come out when she was there yet the thirteenth and fourteenth minute ticked by.  Sora and the girl exchanged glances every now and then and after fifteen minutes Sora got off the bed and knelt down.

"Hey Riku, it's alright.  It's only Kairi.  You remember Kairi don't you?" Sora asked.

Riku didn't move and continued to stare at the girl in the corner.

Sora climbed back up on the bed to wait.  A few minutes later a clawed hand peeked out followed by its partner.  Then in a flash the hands' owner sprung out at Kairi.  Sora dove forward and caught Riku around the legs before he reached his target.  Kairi screamed and pulled her knees to her chest.  Riku kicked at his captor, right foot striking Sora's jaw.  Four doctors rushed in and held Riku down and sedated him.  Sora rolled on his back to rest and clear the stars from his vision while a doctor put Riku in his bed.

"Are you alright?" one of the doctors asked when he noticed the small line of blood coming from the corner of Sora's mouth.

"Yeah, just give me a moment," Sora replied.

Sora took a deep breath and stood.  He glanced down at Riku for a moment before leaving and letting the doctors do their thing.  He signed out on the sheet at the front desk and noticed that Kairi's name wasn't on the sheet anywhere.  He set the paper down and left the mental institution.

"Hey Kairi wait up!"

The girl stopped near the street and turned.

"Oh hey," she smiled weakly.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh I'm fine, you saved me remember?" Kairi laughed.

"You know I'd never let anything happen to you," Sora planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Yeah, I know."

"So why were you here today anyway?" asked Sora as they crossed the street.

"Well I got caught up in some school work and didn't get to make it over here yesterday so I thought I could see him today after you left."

"Why after I left?  We could have gone together," said Sora.

"Riku seems to do better when there's only one of us there," Kairi commented.  "Well I better be heading home, my mom gets worried when I'm not home by six.  See ya around Sora."

"See ya."

Kairi pecked him on the cheek and ran off for the docks.  Sora smiled after her and turned the other way to go to port on the other side of the business district to catch a boat to Play Island where Tidus and the others were undoubtedly still playing.  The small ferry dropped him off and Wakka waved him over to Riku's Island, the small island with the paopu tree.

"Hey guys," Sora rubbed Tidus's head who was sitting on the edge swinging his legs.

"So how's Riku?" asked Selphie.

"He's like he always is," Sora replied.  "No changes yet."

"Oh," the hyper girl sighed.

"Have you guys talked to Kairi lately by any chance?" Sora asked casually.

"I talked to her yesterday when she got back from visiting Riku," answered Selphie.

"She visited Riku yesterday?"

"Well ya man, she does every Tuesday," said Wakka.

"Oooo, shiny," awed Tidus randomly holding up a sea shell to the sun.

Selphie giggled.

"Did she say anything about her visit?" Sora prodded.

"Not really, she just told us the usual nothings different," replied Selphie.  "She did seem a little off though, like she was too happy about something."

Sora mulled this over in his mind for a moment before bidding the three balls of energy good day.  He got in his boat and rowed himself home.

"Is that you Sora?  Dinner's ready," his mom called.

Sora deposited his shoes by the front door and walked into the kitchen.  He sat down and ate his meal of spaghetti and meatballs and then retreated to his room.  He kicked a few wooden models out of his way to the bathroom.  He turned on the water for the shower and stripped.  Sora stepped into the still warming water and let it soothe the bruises that were starting to form on his shoulders.

He thought back to when he had gotten word from Leon that they had found Riku.  The new leader of Hollow Bastion had sent a letter with a couple photos inside.  On one of the photos was Mickey.  He had tubes and wires coming out of all sorts of places on his body, and his face was horribly mutilated.  In the note it had said that Mickey had died later the night they found him.  Riku had been in a similar state but his body hadn't been marred as badly.  He had his share of incisions on his torso but nothing nearly as bad as Mickey.  Donald and Goofy had brought Riku back to Destiny Islands a few days later and told them Riku hadn't woken up yet and maybe a familiar atmosphere would help.  With the rejection from his own parents the silver haired teen had stayed at Sora's house in the spare bedroom.  When the boy had awoken he had flipped back off the bad with a feline grace and cowered in the corner.  Sora had been sitting there and had attempted to approach him but Riku tried to push back more so Sora stopped advancing.  Then suddenly Riku had lashed out at him, claw like nails catching on Sora's delicate skin time after time.  Being the weaker of the two there had been nothing Sora could do, seemingly nothing anyone could do, but never underestimate a mother with a wooden stirring spoon.  She had been terrified when she saw her son all bloody on the floor and Riku crouched over him.  Riku looked up and leapt at her but she batted his head like a base ball and sent him back into the realm of unconsciousness.  Both teens had then been taken to the hospital, only one of them destined to go home.  Sora tried to remember the name of the world they had found Riku on.  Then with ringing clarity the name resounded in his head: Earth.

Sora finished washing up and pulled on his sleep pants and crawled into bed.  Tomorrow he would ask Kairi what exactly she had been doing sneaking into Riku's room.

Ok you guys, please review.  I wanna know if I should keep going with this one or give it up.  And sry in advance if I ever use medical terms wrong.  Now submit your review!


	2. Answers only Bring More Questions

Finally!! Chap 2 is now up and ready for your viewing! Sorry it took so insanely long, I bet any one who had read this before gave up ;; Well here it is!

Sora stepped from the ferryboat onto the sturdy dock in the business district. After a brief parting conversation with the boat-master the brunette began his trek to the hospital. The all too familiar building was becoming an eye sore. Each time Sora gazed upon its crystalline doors he remembered the opacity of Riku's eyes; clear yet distorted beyond all recognition. Sora walked in an checked the sign-in.

"Good, Kairi's still here. I hope Riku's in a good mood today," Sora thought absently as he wrote his name.

The teen walked his usual route to Riku's room. He knocked softly to alert Kairi, knowing Riku had either already felt or heard his foot steps.

"Kairi?" Sora pushed open the door.

Kairi sat on the edge of the bed with Riku scrunched in the opposite corner. Sora stepped in and let the door softly click into place. Sea-green eyes scrutinized the intruder. Sora swiftly sat a few feet away from the corner and waited.

"So how is he?" Sora whispered over his shoulder.

Riku's hand shot out and pounded the tiles just in front of Sora. A low growl followed.

"Oops," Sora shut his mouth.

Riku shifted back and forth much like am excited animal, albeit a scowling excited animal.

"You do not usually come on these days."

Sora's eyes bulged and his jaw went slack, "He… You… Oh my God, Riku you talked!"

Sora moved forward but Riku held up his hands.

"Do not come near me."

Riku's voice had deepened much since the last time Sora had heard him when the gates of Kingdom Hearts had closed. In fact he sounded eerily like Sephiroth; same intonation and everything.

"So Sora, why are you here today?" Kairi fidgeted with her purse.

"I needed to talk to you but, I think that can wait now," Sora could barely contain his smile.

"Why do you bare your teeth so?" Riku arched an eyebrow.

"Huh?" a puzzled look crossed Sora's face. "Oh you mean why am I smiling? You're getting better that's why."

"It surprised me so much I tried to hug him and he leapt off the bed," Kairi laughed nervously.

Riku kneaded the hard ground with his fingers.

Sora looked at the two of them, "Is everything alright?"

"Oh fine. What ever gave you the idea it wasn't?" Kairi asked. "Well I have to be off to work now. I'll see, and talk, to you both later."

Kairi waved and walked out.

"Thanks the gods she's gone," sighed Riku.

"Huh?" Sora hefted himself onto the bed.

"She annoys me, grates on my every nerve she does," Riku vaulted onto the mattress next to Sora.

"Why? I thought you liked Kairi," he then thought, "_Maybe now I'll get some answers_."

"She seemed pleasant company at first but then she changed," Riku bowed his head. "She started visiting at odd hours, like while I was still sleeping; not very appreciated on my part."

"Why would she come?"

"Not quite sure. Once she had this long yellow tape with numbers on it, and another time she took my blood."

"You didn't stop her?" Sora asked. "_Ok now I'm confused._"

"Every time I found my self," Riku shifted slightly, "unable to move and blind."

"Well if you couldn't see how did you know it was Kairi?"

"She has a very distinctive smell… like meatloaf."

Sora laughed.

"I've made no joke, why do you ask so jovial?" Riku inquired.

"I'm sorry," Sora calmed down.

"Will the meatloaf girl be coming back?"

Sora suppressed a smile and scooted back against the wall, "She may, but I'll talk to her about all this."

"I thank you," Riku bowed his head slightly.

"Ya know, you're like the polar opposite if yesterday. What happened last night that calmed you down so much and gave you your voice back?" Sora asked. "And the weird vocabulary for that matter?"

"In truth I'm not entirely sure. My most accurate assumption would be however, that small white tablet they put on my food plate last night."

"So a medication?"

"So I assume, yes," confirmed Riku.

"Do you feel up to going back to Play Island with me?" Sora asked hopefully.

"Play Island? Where is that?"

"It's the place we used to hang out before you went missing along time ago," answered Sora.

"You mean to say that we were acquaintances before my arrival in this non-descript room?"

"Acquaintances? Riku you were my best friend!" Sora burst.

"You have my apologies for I remember you not," Riku shook his head. "Though you seem to have an air of familiarity that I can't quite place."

"That's good enough for me at this point," Sora breathed heavily.

"You realize you have yet to tell me about what your small friends have been up to today," Riku pointed out.

"You mean Tidus and Selphie?"

"The one who likes shiny things and the dress up queen?" Riku asked.

Sora laughed, "Yes, the same ones."

Sora gave a lengthy re-countenance of the day's Play Island mishaps. Riku laughed when he was told about Tidus's hand being bitten by a giant clam when he tried to take its pearl. Sora had to pause in his story for the deific sound. He too had to ponder how such unstained mirth was coming from someone who had been through the horrors Riku had been.

"You stare at me oddly, why?" Riku asked when he calmed down.

"It's just nice to hear you laugh again that's all," Sora smiled.

"If I had but know it would bring you joy I would have tried to do so sooner," Riku smiled.

They both looked up when the door opened.

"Oh I'm sorry to disturb you two but I'm afraid visiting hours are over and I need Sora to leave," the nurse said and re-closed the door.

"You will come back tomorrow?" Riku said as more of a command than a question.

"Of course! I want to talk more with you," Sora leaned over near Riku's ear. "And sneak you out of this prison."

"I look forward to our escapade. Till tomorrow then, good bye," Riku said.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Sora stood and left.

"_Oh my God I can't believe I was just talking with Riku! I've gotta go celebrate or something,_" Sora walked out of the institute like he was walking on air. "_Maybe I could have all the guys over so we can conspire a way to get Riku out tomorrow. I'm sure Kairi could…Oh that's right, Kairi._"

Sora walked off toward the park near Kairi's work place. The girl was a cashier at a meat packing shop, conveniently owned by her uncle. When he got to the small business the doors were shut tight and Kairi's uncle, Bob, was sitting on a bench.

"Hey there kid. You lookin' for Kai?" Bob asked knowingly. "Well she never showed up for work today and since today's been relatively slow I decided to close up early. You might want to check her house. You know how her parents are about her curfew."

"Oh… Well did you see her at all today?" Sora asked.

"Nope, she didn't even stop by this mornin' on the way to the pastry shop for breakfast like she normally does," Bob scratched his head.

"Ok, thank you sir."

Sora turned and walked back for the docks. He had to wait a few minutes for the ferry to come in but he didn't mind waiting. He kept mulling over how Riku had changed so suddenly and yet, was subconsciously depressed that Riku had no real recollection of him. He landed back on Play Island but all the other kids had already gone home for dinner and wouldn't be out again for a few hours. Sora found his boat by the dock on the shallow beach and rowed to Kairi's.

"Oh hello Sora. What brings you to our house?" Kairi's mother asked.

"I was looking for Kairi. I need to talk to her about something," Sora responded.

"Oh, well Kairi just left to run a few quick errands for me. To pick up a few groceries ya know? I'm sure you'd find her on the other island."

"Ok, thanks."

The woman closed the door and Sora dragged his feet back to his boat.

"_This is getting really annoying,_" Sora shook his head and started rowing again back to Play Island. "_Can't the girl just stay put so I can talk to her for five minutes?_"

Sora sat on the other side of the island and waited yet again for the ferry. He switched on the dock light so the ferry-man would know he had a passenger over here.

Sora hopped off the boat and waved so long to the driver for the third time. He trod around the district in search of Kairi. The food stores were all vacant of girls with auburn hair as were the pharmacies and convenience stores.

"Where is she?" Sora said to no one in particular and pulled his light jacket tightly around him. "I hope I find her soon. It's getting awfully cold."

Sora checked back by the meat shop just incase Bob had reopened when Kairi came back but the store was black. He decided, on a whim, that she had gone to check on Riku for some reason; just hopefully not one of the weird ones Riku had mentioned. He walked up to the dimly illuminated doors and tried the handles. Securely locked as usual.

A loud thud off to his left alerted Sora to someone else's presence.

"Hello? Who's there?" Sora called.

Sora stepped around the side of the building just in time to see a group of black clad figures scatter. Sora ran after one of them and tripped over a fleshy object in a bush.

"Owe…"

Sora looked back at the hooded person.

"Kairi?"

A/N Ok all, this is not turning out as what I think I had originally planned. You see I started this eons ago and decided to pick it back up even though I had lost the plot of the story. Well like any normal person I just gave it a new plot and chugged on ahead. Well hopefully now that I'm back in a KH state of mind I'll be able to update this more often along with the other KH fics I haven't completed. Oh, and just as an insentive, the more reviews I get the faster I'll post chapters so review, even if you didn't like it tell me why! I like criticism, just remember, I'm human too….

Hell's Shadow Walker


	3. Deja VuKairi Revealed

Yay! New chappie! Oh and just to be safe I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything like that. However much I'd like to I don't….oh well, on with the story!

"Kairi?"

"So-Sora, why are you here?" Kairi stuttered. "You, you should be at home eating now."

"I was trying to find you," Sora growled. "What's going on?"

Kairi tried to run but Sora had a firm grip on her shoulders. The girl whimpered and tried to shirk the hold but failed miserably.

"Please Sora, just let me go," Kairi whined.

"Not until you tell me why you've been running your own little experiments on Riku," Sora shook the lithe girl. "Answer me!"

"I never meant to get you involved in this," whispered Kairi and smothered Sora's face with a white cloth.

The chloroform quickly knocked the sable-haired youth out in Kairi's arms. Two black-clad men stepped from the brush and scowled down.

"That's the other one?" one asked.

"Yes," Kairi murmured.

One of the men picked Sora off the ground and walked away. The other hooked onto Kairi's arm and hefted her onto her feet before leading her away as well.

When Sora came to his head and shoulders ached. He tried to bring his hand to his throbbing temples but found them tightly secured above his head. The bright lights didn't help Sora's headache either, they only made him squint and hit his head against the wall behind him. The boy hissed and shook his head.

"Sora?"

"Hm?" Sora looked up and saw Riku in a similar state like himself.

"You are conscious?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," Sora kept blinking trying to get his eyes to comfortably adjust to the blinding illuminants. "Where are we?"

"Our location is unbeknownst to me," Riku replied. "That Kairi girl is present though."

Indeed, upon focusing his vision Sora saw Kairi scribbling down on a sheet of paper while sitting and observing the two.

"Kairi! What's going on!?" Sora yelled.

"It makes little difference," Kairi said indifferently and continued to write, pushing her small reading glasses up on her nose.

"Kairi…" Sora sighed in defeat. He was still weary and put up little resistance to Kairi's utter lack of response.

Riku and Sora exchanged glances but found nothing remotely reassuring in each others' gaze.

"So why are you sitting in here with us? Not suddenly feeling guilty I bet," Sora commented.

"I'm taking notes on your physiques and speech patterns," Kairi breathed. "So if you two wouldn't mind speaking more to each other…"

"Oh give it up Kairi! This joke has gone a little too far wouldn't you say? Now let Riku and I go," Sora demanded.

"I do not believe this to be a joke Sora," interjected Riku.

Kairi sighed and set the clip board on her lap, "You want the truth? If I give that to you will you cooperate?"

"Depends," Sora scowled. "You're not going to dissect us or anything are you?"

"In short," Kairi replied.

"Then hell no!" Sora exclaimed. "I'm not gonna agree to get put under the knife under any circumstance."

Kairi stood and walked over to Riku, "Under any circumstance?" She held a scalpel to Riku's throat.

"You wouldn't…"

A thin line of blood seeped from a tiny incision, "Oh I would."

Sora's eyes narrowed, "Fine."

"Very well then. I'll try to keep my story as concise and to the point as I can," Kairi began. "On my home world we have the technology to send one body back in time and there by defying age. Through this capability scientists of phenomenal intelligence were able to continue their research for decades and apply the knowledge only kept in their brains alone. A man by the name of Déjà Vu specialized in astrology and was the one to finally uncover these planetary clusters of yours. This is where I come in. I'm Déjà's seventeenth daughter and was put in charge of collecting the most qualified specimens from this planet. My choice had been Riku, and such a rescue team from Earth found him in Kingdom Hearts and brought him back to our world. He's property of Déjà Incorporated," Kairi pointed at Riku. "As now are you Sora, and all due to a minor triviality."

"Then how was it possible for you to have been one of the Princesses? You're not pure at all!" Sora burst.

"Oh but I am. You see my mind is thirty-seven years old but my heart is only as old as my body. The whole quest for the Door to the Light was a mere side road in my real journey of obtaining Riku," Kairi flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Sora relaxed back against the wall. All the information he had just been fed was now sinking in. The Kairi he loved betrayed him to the fullest extent. She betrayed Riku as well. Riku looked over and his progressively depressing friend and tried to look sympathetic. Kairi laughed.

"You getting all this Riku darling? Or is your memory chip malfunctioning?"

"Memory chip?" Riku asked.

"Yes. When you were with us previously, before that wretched Cloud found you, we had inserted a memory chip to control what memories you could call forth and which ones would stay suppressed. However our chip is not fail safe and you were able to remember just enough to quickly bond and trust Sora."

"So you're the one who made him forget me," seethed Sora. "You bitch!"

"Now now my little Sora, do be polite else I may have to inflict modern torture on you," Kairi smiled.

"_I know I can break out of these chains but I don't know what they would do to Sora. If only I could incapacitate the meatloaf girl we'd be able to escape_," Riku thought.

"Planning on escaping?" Kairi asked.

Riku looked up from his deep thought in disbelief.

"Oh don't look so shocked," Kairi waved her hand. "That little chip also serves as a transmitter. Anything you think goes straight to these monitors." She gestured at the computers behind her. "Well, I suppose I should leave you two for your last moments."

Kairi grinned and walked out.

"What does she mean last moments? I still have no clue really what's going on," Sora sighed.

"If I could only cause the chip to cease its purpose I'm sure we could get out of here," Riku said.

"And then what? Riku, we have no idea where we are! We may not even be on Destiny Islands!" Sora pointed out.

"I'm going to keep going hard until I find the shiniest and best thing of all and I'll never lose hope until I die. Isn't that what your friend used to say?" Riku said.

"Yeah, a friend I'll never see again," sulked Sora.

"Perhaps you did not get my point," Riku cleared his throat. "There's no frickin' way we're gonna die in this poor excuse for a lab. Now stop feeling sorry for your own ass and think of a damn way to get the hell outta here."

Sora looked up, "Did mister prim-and-proper just say what I think he said?"

"Need I repeat it for you?" Riku asked.

"No, point made," Sora smiled. "Ok, now how to get out of here…"

The two teens were instantly lost in thought, all the while the chip nestled in Riku's head was eroding. Suddenly Riku perked up.

"Hey, I got it!" Riku maneuvered his hand so that his palm was facing Sora. "Ok now hold very still."

"Wait Riku what are you…"

A fire ball shot front Riku's palm and shattered the bonds on Sora's hands. Riku then divulged himself of his own cuffs and proceeded to exterminate the electronics in the room.

"And you could do that since when?" Sora asked.

"Just now," Riku flashed one of his trade-mark cocky grins.

Sirens erupted and red lights began to flash.

"Come on, I know how to get out of here," Riku grabbed Sora's hand and dragged him from the room.

They ran down a long white corridor and veered to the right. At the end of that hall was a set of guards. A stream of lightning took them out. After a brisk run they arrived at the shuttle bay. A gargantuan craft hovered in the dock waiting to launch.

"Hurry."

Sora and Riku dodged detection until they were onboard. Then they easily scared the workers off the ship with a few harmless spells. By now the craft had been surrounded by armed personnel. Kairi was fuming just outside the shuttle entrance.

"If you try and leave this hangar I'll have them shoot you down! And if that happens we'll have to take someone new from Destiny Islands!"

An unexpected shiver shot down Riku's spine. He quickly shook off the feeling and checked the ships data base.

"Heh, shoot us down? They don't have a gun here that can penetrate this baby's defenses," laughed Riku. "Destiny Islands here we come!"

Sora couldn't help but smile. His old Riku was finally coming back to him. They'd finally be able to pick up where they left off.

The engines roared to life and the shuttle bay was being speedily vacated. Kairi's voice came through the communication system to the cock pit.

"Shut down the engines or we'll fire! We will destroy your craft! I swear that…"

"I love com. systems," Riku sighed and flipped off a switch. "Much better."

Sora laughed, "Oh hey, uh, you do know how to fly this thing right?"

"Not a clue! Hold on tight!"

Sora strapped himself to the seat and braced for take off. Riku stepped on a floor peddle and the shuttle rocketed out of the port, obliterating the hangar door in its way. No ship pursued them from the satellite station.

"Well that was exciting," Riku relaxed, having finally figured out how to set a destination and turn on auto-pilot.

"Hey Riku? What happened to you back there? One moment you're all snooty and then you're your old self."

"I guess that little chip of there's just wasn't as high caliber as my brain," Riku smiled. "I'm great."

Sora laughed.

"So how's your head?" Riku asked.

"Hm? Oh, it's better now," Sora replied.

They lapsed into an awkward silence.

"So…"

"Yeah…"

"Now what?"

"Hm?" Sora thought. "Do you remember what happened to you while you were on Earth before?"

"A little. I remember the facility we were just on but I can't for the life of me remember what they did," Riku propped his feet up on the console.

"That could be a good thing," Sora commented.

"A blessing in disguise? Not for me, I like to know what was done. It wouldn't affect me. I can handle it."

The pictures Leon had sent when they found Riku flared to the front of his mind, "No Riku, I don't think even you could bare it."

"Oh pishaw," Riku took his feet down and stood. "I wonder where the bathroom is…"

"_I suppose Riku will always be Riku_," Sora thought. "_He's strong I'll give him that. But to remember how badly they broke him would be devastating._"

Riku wandered off in search of the facilities he required. Sora decided to pursue a place of his own and went looking for food.

"Oh my goodness! Thank God you're home safe!" Sora's mother squeezed the air out of her son in greeting. "Where have you been? I was so worried! And where's Kairi? Is she with you? Oh… Riku…"

"Nice to see you again too," Riku scratched his head.

Tears sprang to the woman's eyes, "You're alright again!" She swooped in on Riku and strangled the oxygen out of him too. "Oh and uh," she let go, "sorry for hitting you in the head with my spoon."

"You hit me with a spoon?" Riku's eyebrow arched.

"Oh never mind that," Sora's mother laughed. "Come eat some food."

Both boys readily accepted the meal and ate till they thought they'd burst. For now life was good, but in the backs of their subconscious they knew Kairi and the others of Déjà Incorporated were still out there, just waiting.

That night Sora brought everyone together for a makeshift welcome back party for Riku. Selphie got the bright idea to play the age old game of Dungeons and Dragons. She was going to play an Elfin Princess. Tidus flipped through the Monstrous Manual accidentally instead of the Player's Handbook and decided he was going to be and Illithid. Sora and Riku reluctantly humored the tots and were human rangers. Wakka was finally convinced then that he would be a gnome warrior. Their mission was to recover the Ancient Scrolls of the Arch Magi from the thieves' guild. The shack was used for their base, where they all currently sat, and they designated Secret Place as the guild.

"Ok, this is how it goes," started Selphie, "We'll sneak through the leech filled swamp to the side entrance."

"And then we eat their brains!" Tidus shouted.

"No, then we infiltrate their hideout."

"Then we eat their brains!"

"No… Then we find the scrolls."

"And then eat their brains?' Tidus questioned.

"No! We're not eating their brains!" Selphie snapped.

"Oh… Can I eat your brain?"

"…"

"Why would you want to eat her brain? My brain's much better," boasted Riku.

Tidus jumped over and got a mouthful of Riku's hair.

"Ewe! That's so gross!" Selphie giggled.

"Awe come on man, not my hair," whined Riku.

Tidus slowly released the silver locks and retook his seat. Riku picked up the slimed mass on his head and paled.

"That's so not cool."

Riku got up and left the shack. When the others exited Riku was floating on the ocean waters.

"Water fight!" Wakka shouted and they all charged Riku

Owari

A/N: Ok all I know this is kinda just dropping it but there will me a sequel! I'm probably going to title it "War on Earth" so keep an eye out for it! Or just add me to your fave authors and it will automatically update you plus it would make me feel good. Ok now tell me what you think! I could really use suggestion for revision of this story and ideas for the sequel! Arigato!

Oh, and if you were wondering, an Illithid is a monster with a squid like head that feeds off people's (usually mages) brains. One totally kicked my butt the first time I played D&D….I don't wanna talk about it….


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